Altenberg () is a town in the

Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains (german: Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge) is a district (''Districts of Germany, Kreis'') in Saxony, Germany. It is named after the mountain ranges Saxon Switzerland and Eastern Ore Mountains. History Th ...

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

, in

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Geography

The town is situated in the Ore Mountains, 32 km south of

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, and 15 km northwest of

Teplice Teplice () (until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; german: Teplitz-Schönau or ''Teplitz'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest Czech spa town, after Karlovy Vary. The his ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. The village of Zinnwald-Georgenfeld registered the lowest annual mean temperature (4.9 °C) of all inhabited places in Germany during the period 1961–1990. Additionally, it also holds the German record for the highest amount of precipitation recorded in one day, 312 mm. The highest snow depth ever recorded was 163 cm in 2005.

Municipal divisions

The town Altenberg consists of the following ''Ortschaften'' or municipal divisions:Hauptsatzung der Stadt Altenberg
§ 18, June 2021. *Altenberg (incl. Hirschsprung) * Bärenfels * Bärenstein *

Falkenhain Falkenhain is a former municipality in the Leipzig district in Saxony, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and ...

(incl. Waldidylle) * Fürstenau (incl. Gottgetreu and Müglitz) *

Fürstenwalde Fürstenwalde/Spree (; Lower Sorbian: ''Pśibor pśi Sprjewje'') is the most populous town in the Oder-Spree District of Brandenburg, Germany. Geography The town is situated in the glacial valley (''Urstromtal'') of the Spree river north of the ...

Geising Geising is a ''Stadtteil'' (municipal division) of Altenberg in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany.

(incl. Löwenhain) * Kipsdorf * Lauenstein * Liebenau * Oberbärenburg (incl. Waldbärenburg) * Rehefeld-Zaunhaus (incl. Neurehefeld and Neuhermsdorf) * Schellerhau * Zinnwald-Georgenfeld

Points of interest

* The Great Pinge (''Große Pinge'') of Altenberg is a giant ''

pinge A ''Pinge'' (pronounced "pinger", plural: ''Pingen'') or ''Binge'' ("binger") is the name given in German-speaking Europe to a wedge-, ditch- or funnel-shaped depression in the terrain caused by mining activity. This depression or sink-hole is fr ...

'' or collapsed mineshaft above old mining excavations (mainly

tin ore Cassiterite is a tin oxide mineral, SnO2. It is generally opaque, but it is translucent in thin crystals. Its luster and multiple crystal faces produce a desirable gem. Cassiterite was the chief tin ore throughout ancient history and remains ...

digging) throughout the last centuries. Today this 12 ha area (150 m deep and 450 m in diameter), bordering the town area, is considered to be one out of 77 of the most important geotopes in Germany. * DKB-Eiskanal: The

Altenberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track The Altenberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a venue in Germany for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton (sport), skeleton. Located in Saxony in eastern Germany, it is northwest of Altenberg, Saxony, Altenberg, near the border with the Czech Re ...

venue (official name until 2012: Rennschlitten- und Bobbahn Altenberg (RSBB)). * The basalt mountain

Geisingberg The Geisingberg is a striking basalt mountain in the eastern Ore Mountains in the German federal state of Saxony. Location and surrounding area The Geisingberg lies in the upper Eastern Ore Mountains between the mining town of Altenberg and t ...

(824 m) with mountain hut, tower and look-out. On the flanks of the hill, at the Geisingberg Meadows preserve area, there are important populations of globe-flowers and wild orchids, blooming in spring and early summer. *

Botanischer Garten Schellerhau The Botanischer Garten Schellerhau (1.4 hectares) is a botanical garden located near the hamlet of Schellerhau at Hauptstrasse 41, Altenberg, Saxony, Germany. It is open daily in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged. The garden was est ...

, a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

* Cross-border Mining Education Trail File:Altenberg (Erzgebirge) Rathaus (01).jpg, Altenberg Town hall File:Altenberg Pyramide auf dem Bahnhofsvorplatz 2011-11-15.JPG,

Christmas pyramid Christmas pyramids (german: Weihnachtspyramide) are Christmas decorations that have their roots in the folklore and customs of the Ore Mountain region of Germany, but which have become popular internationally. They comprise a decorated pyramidal ...

at the station File:Saxonia Museum fuer saechsische Vaterlandskunde IV 51.jpg, Altenberg 1839

Sport

It is home of the Altenberg bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track that has been in use since 1987. The

FIBT World Championships 2008 The FIBT World Championships 2008 ran February 11–24, 2008 in Altenberg, Germany for the fifth time, having done so in 1991 (bobsleigh), 1994 (skeleton), 1999 (skeleton), and 2000 (men's bobsleigh). It is the first time Altenberg has hosted all ...

ran February 11–24, 2008 in Altenberg, Saxony, for the fifth time, having done so in 1991 (bobsleigh), 1994 (skeleton), 1999 (skeleton), and 2000 (men's bobsleigh). It was the first time Altenberg has hosted all of the events at one championship

Sons and daughters of the town

Friedrich Leibniz Friedrich Leibniz (or Leibnütz; 1597–1652) was a Lutheran lawyer and a notary, registrar and professor of moral philosophy within Leipzig University.Brandon C. Look. Gregory Brown (Professor at University of Houston). Ariew, Roger. ''G. W. ...

(also Leibnütz), (1597-1652), jurist, philosopher, father of

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm (von) Leibniz . ( – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat. He is one of the most prominent figures in both the history of philosophy and the history of mathema ...

Horst Koschka Horst Koschka (born 8 September 1943 in Altenberg) is a retired East German biathlete. He represented the sports club Sportvereinigung (SV) Dynamo The Sportvereinigung Dynamo () (''Dynamo Sports Association'') was the sport associati ...

(born 1943), biathlete *

Manfred Beer Manfred Beer (born 2 December 1953) is a former East German biathlete. During his career he won a bronze medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics as part of the East German 4 × 7.5 km relay team and two gold medals and one bronze medal in World C ...

(born 1953), biathlete * Michael Rösch (born 1983), Olympic champion with the biathlon men's relay at the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

References

External links

Altenberg
(German) Populated places in Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge Towns in the Ore Mountains Mining communities in Germany {{Ore-mountains-stub